HAWTHORN midfielder Sam Butler will miss at least a week due to soreness in the leg he broke both bones in last year, but James Sicily and James Worpel are in the frame to return against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. 

Butler played his first game at AFL level in 418 days when he was recalled against the Western Bulldogs in round 13 and has played the past three matches for the Hawks around the mid-season bye. 

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The 22-year-old missed almost all of 2024 after breaking both his fibula and tibia in a game for Box Hill last April. 

Hawthorn isn't alarmed by the soreness, given it's common following such a horrific leg break, and doesn't expect Butler to miss more than a fortnight before being available for selection again. 

Worpel missed the wins over Adelaide and North Melbourne at University of Tasmania Stadium due to the severe quad cork that forced him to be subbed out of the win over the Bulldogs last month. 

The free agent needs the leg drained but trained fully on Thursday at Waverley Park and is on track to return against the Saints this weekend. 

Sicily hasn't played since the loss to Collingwood in round 12 after reaggravating a hip/abdominal issue that has limited him for weeks. 

Hawthorn initially expected the skipper to be available straight after the bye, but the issue has taken longer to resolve with coach Sam Mitchell indicating that Sicily might need until closer to the game to be cleared to play. 

"If James Sicily and James Worpel get through training they will be available. We've got some selection decisions. More likely than unlikely, but they haven't been ticked off," Mitchell said on Thursday.

"It is probably more how they wake up tomorrow, so even if they get through training today we'll name them, but for both of those guys how they wake up the next day is important.

"Worpel's corkie ended up being quite a nasty bleed. He is as professional and as diligent a player that we have, so he had this very unusual bleed. He has done a good job to get back this quickly; I don't think anyone would have got back quicker."

Hawthorn defender Josh Weddle could miss the rest of the season after scans on Monday revealed bone stress reaction in his back. 

The 21-year-old had played 57 games straight since his debut in 2023 and won't know if he can play again in 2025 until he is scanned again in a month. 

"He pulled up from the game pretty sore in his back, and as you do, you get a scan and obviously a disappointing result. Realistically we don't know and we won't know for a month," Mitchell said. 

"We've had a couple of these: Will McCabe came in with some back trouble and Calsher [Dear] at the start of the year. It's reasonably similar; the process is wait a month, don't do much in that time, rescan it and see how it's gone. If in a month's time there is a bit of healing and it's on the right track that will keep the door open for the season. If in a month's time they rescan and it doesn't look as progressed as they would have liked then they will rule him out."

Key forward Mitch Lewis made a successful return in the VFL last Saturday, kicking two goals from 70 minutes of game time and is now set for a full game for Box Hill against Sandringham on Saturday. 

Dear also produced his best performance of the year to put his hand up for a recall, hauling in 12 marks to go with two goals at Arden Street, but with Jack Gunston (seven goals), Mabior Chol (five goals) and Max Ramsden (three goals) all kicking career-high goal numbers against the Kangaroos, Mitchell is dealing with a selection squeeze. 

"It's the right dilemma," he said.

"In the latter part of the year we are going to have to have some tough selection decisions, but we've had to do that across the course of this year. You look at the best teams that are playing the best footy, they are the decisions you have to make. You have very good players that are more than AFL capable who aren't playing at a given time."

Chol will play his 100th game on Saturday night a decade after being drafted, reaching the milestone in the form of his career with 30.9 on the board after 15 games, following 37 goals in his first season at Waverley Park.

Star midfielder Will Day has ramped up his workload this week and is still targeting a return to the team by round 20. 

Day hasn't played since round three after a stress fracture was discovered in his navicular bone, but trained with the main group on Thursday.

Hawthorn sits just outside the top four on percentage with 10 wins, but is just half a game behind second-placed Brisbane heading into round 17.